Spyridium eriocephalum
Spyridium eriocephalum, commonly known as heath spyridium or heath dustymiller, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub with linear leaves, and heads of white or cream-coloured, woolly-hairy flowers with brown bracts at the base.
Description
Spyridium eriocephalum is an erect to spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to. Its leaves are linear, long and wide with linear brown stipules long at the base. The upper surface of the leaves is glabrous, the lower surface obscured by the down-rolled edges of the leaves. The heads of flowers are wide, arranged on the ends of branches with up to three floral leaves and several brown papery bracts at the base. The flowers are long, white or cream-coloured and covered with woolly white hairs. Flowering mostly occurs from August to November.Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1837 by Eduard Fenzl in Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel from specimens collected near the Derwent River by Ferdinand Bauer.John McConnell Black described two varieties of S. eriocephalum and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:Spyridium eriocaphalum Fenzl var. eriocephalum;Spyridium eriocaphalum var. glabrisepalum J.M.Black differs from the autonym in having flower head and upper leaves that are sticky.